Henderson Lewis Jr., a member of the St. Bernard Parish School Board who also serves as instructional chief for the Algiers Charter Schools Association, has been named superintendent of East Feliciana Parish public schools. Lewis said he will finish the school year in Algiers before switching jobs on June 1. He also plans to finish serving his second term on the School Board, through 2014, while living in Violet and commuting during the week to his new office in Clinton.

Mark Waller/The Times-PicayuneHenderson Lewis, Jr., a St. Bernard Parish School Board member and director of academics and instructional technology for the Algiers Charter Schools Association, was named superintendent of East Feliciana public schools starting in the 2012-13 school year.

Lewis, 37, holds a doctorate with an emphasis in educational leadership from Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. He worked as an administrator in St. Bernard public schools before winning election to the School Board, which required him to work outside the district. He moved to the Algiers network, where he was assistant principal of Alice Harte Charter School, founding principal of Algiers Technology Academy and director of academics and instructional technology for the charter association.

"I'm committed to making East Feliciana the best rural school district in Louisiana," Lewis said.

Among his strategies, he said, will be strengthening the application of a teacher incentive pay program in East Feliciana similar to the system Algiers uses. He said East Feliciana has about 2,000 students in five schools, a manageable size for spreading consistent programs throughout the district.

An announcement from East Feliciana public schools says Superintendent Douglas Beauchamp is set to retire. Lewis won the job in a 10-1 vote of the East Feliciana Parish School Board.

"He's a very bright, energetic young man," who has experience in several educational roles, said East Feliciana School Board President Michael Ray Bradford.

The statement from the district said East Feliciana faced the "harsh reality" of receiving a D grade from the state last year and now braces for a struggle in implementing the a fresh round of statewide education reforms. Lewis pledged to prepare the schools for the challenges. Bradford said East Feliciana officials are hopeful he has the background to keep the district on top of unfolding changes.

"He has a lot of knowledge of the reforms," Bradford said. "We're very high on him."

Bradford also said Lewis' experience as a school board member made him appealing when the board made its decision in April. Lewis brings the perspectives of an administrator and a policy maker, which should promote harmonious working relationships between management and the board, Bradford said.